The Battle of Reach
by SuperSpiff
Summary: My first fic. My idea of what happened from the moment the Covenant attacked Reach to when the Pillar of Autumn made their blind jump.
1. The First Strike

I was talking to my friend when inspiration struck. This is a story about how the Colony of Reach was lost along with most of the Spartan IIs. It begins when the Covenant first discover Reach and leaves off as the Pillar of Autumn is about to make the blind jump from Reach to Halo. Anyways, R&R please but no flames. Give me advice as to what you think I did wrong and I'll consider it. (I WROTE THIS AT 1:30 IN THE MORNING SO BE PREPARED)  
  
I DO NOT OWN HALO!  
  
Characters  
  
USNC forces: UNSC (United Nations Space Command) forces are the backbone to the  
space exploration program. This group is, in short, Earth's Army in space.  
Consisted mainly of marines, starships, and a variety of combat vehicles,  
the UNSC's job is to make sure everything in space goes smoothly.  
  
Elise (Yellow armor)- The only female Spartan II. Very fast but gets herself into difficult  
situations.  
  
John (Dark blue armor)- The smartest member of the Spartan II unit. Very analytical and  
is good at thinking out situations but not the best fighter.  
  
Nick (Black armor)- The newest and youngest Spartan II. Brave but headstrong and  
spontaneous.  
  
Sam (Red armor)- The only surviving Spartan I (I know they don't exist but let's leave  
him in for the sake of the story). Obsolete but has an extensive  
knowledge of Covenant tactics.  
  
Commander/Master Chief (Jade armor)- One of the best Spartan IIs alive. Strong  
and skilled in almost everything ranging from  
weaponry to vehicles to hand-to-hand combat.  
  
Covenant alien descriptions:  
  
Grunts: Grunts are about 5' tall, pudgy, and are pretty weak.  
However, they tend to  
stick together in packs and can overwhelm a careless soldier. They are usually  
found near more powerful warriors and are mainly used to soften up opponents  
before the big guys get there.  
  
Jackals: Jackals are about 5'8" and are used as scouts by the Covenant. They carry large  
shields due to the fact that they are physically weak. However, with superior  
sight, smell, and hearing, they are more than formidable.  
  
Elites: Arguably the most lethal species of Covenant. Elites are about 8'6", very strong,  
very fast, and very deadly. They are infused with body shields and are not to be  
taken lightly.  
  
Hunters: Eight solid feet of pain. Hunters are also arguably the deadliest species of  
Covenant in existence. These monsters are protected by an impenetrable metal  
alloy that surrounds almost all of their body. Hunters are equipped with two  
deadly weapons, a fuel rod gun (which emits a large blast of green plasma  
which can fry a marine and seriously damage a Spartan II in one hit.)  
and a shield made of that impenetrable allow (which can be used to ram  
opponents). However, they do have a weakness. Like I said, their armor  
protects ALMOST all of their body. It doesn't quite cover their back. A few  
shots in the back and their toast.  
  
The last cargo ship of the month for the colony, Reach, had just docked. The scientists and militants on Reach were very pleased with the arrival of the cargo ship and many gathered around. The freight workers began to unload their supplies, happy to be out of space and in friendly territory (many freighters had reported alien ships in the area lately). The mood was light and no one seemed to have a care in the world. They didn't stand a chance.  
The first ships to come were two small crafts with smoke coming out of twin exhaust pipes. The astute scientists immediately recognized them as banshees and ran for their lives. The remaining humans stared in awe as large green plasma projectiles destroyed the cargo ship and decimated anyone in close proximity to it. Soon, more of these ships came in and the group slaughtered any nearby individuals. The few people who had escaped the banshee attack watched in horror as about 50 larger ships landed and dropped off ground forces. The few soldiers positioned there immediately went into action killing about two grunts and one elite before they were disposed of. The rest of the personnel at the spaceport rushed to the armory to try to hold off some of the invaders, but sadly, many of them didn't get two steps before they were gunned down by the Covenants' superior weapons. One scientist managed to make it to the radio tower and sent out a message.  
"Attention all UNSC ships. This is the colony Reach. We are under attack, I repeat we are under attack! Covenant forces are obliterating us. All ground troops at the spaceport have been destroyed. Approximately 200 enemies have landed and have air support. We need reinforcements. Please we need help. We NEED HELP!" after his message he began to erase all of the data on record so it wouldn't fall into Covenant hands.  
He continued, "I have erased all of the vital information on the spaceport and-wait a minute. Oh my God, IT'S AN ELITE! HELP US PLE-" was all he could say before an elite stormed through the door and struck him dead.  
All of the UNSC ships listened in shock as to what was going on. Some crews gasped at different parts of the message before falling completely quiet when the scientist met his demise. Then, after a few minutes, another voice broke the silence, "All UNSC ships, this is Admiral Keyes. Any ships carrying ready marines, battle vehicles," he paused, "or Spartan units, report to Reach immediately!"  
The crewmembers of every ship held their breath as Keyes said the words 'Spartan units'. Sure they had been through basic tests, but this was the first time they were going to be used in an actual fight. Everyone knew they were the best of the best, but could they be relied on in battle?  
It wasn't before long that the Covenant had completely taken control of the spaceport. More enemy reinforcements came, and scouting parties went out to explore the outlying areas. Soon, an entire base had been set up by the aliens, and ships and other vehicles were being produced at an alarming rate. The Covenant soon had over 1,500 troops on the planet and were destroying human military installations at a remarkable speed.  
However, soon the cavalry arrived. The first UNSC ships came out of their jumps to find an alarming number of Covenant ships coming to and going off of Reach. They decided to slowly make their way to the other side of the planet and radioed the other ships to do as well.  
Soon all available ships had landed and dropped off their cargo. Not wanting to stick around and see the fireworks (or BE the fireworks), the transports quickly made their way back out to space. Unfortunately, for the crews of the combat ships, any ship that could pose a threat to the enemy was ordered to stay and help the ground troops. In a matter of hours, the units and squads were organized, all except the Spartan units. They were ordered to land on the planet ONLY after it was cleared. The doors of the last transports opened and about 50 Spartan units stepped out and were organized into squads of 5. Five soldiers immediately walked towards each other and exchanged pleasantries.  
"Master Chief, good to see you again," a man in red armor with a southern accent said.  
"Nice to see you, Sam. How's the Spartan I program?" a man wearing green, obviously Master Chief, responded.  
"Fine, just fine," the first man, Sam, the only living Spartan I, continued.  
"Greetings, Master Chief," spoke an obviously smart man sporting deep blue armor.  
"Hello, John," the man in jade responded.  
"Hey there, commander," said a woman in yellow armor.  
"Elise," Master Chief nodded.  
"Hey, Master Chief," an enthusiastic lad in black called.  
"Hello, Nick," Master Chief said somewhat stunned at the boy's eagerness.  
Everyone else then said their greetings to each other.  
"Well, shall we get our orders?" Master Chief asked after everyone was satisfied.  
Everyone nodded and they made their way to the general's office.  
"Hello," an old man behind a desk spoke, "I assume you're here to receive your instructions. Let's see," he rustled through his papers, "Ah, yes. About 4000 meters south of this base, a division of grunts has been spotted. We need them elimin-" the general was cut off by Sam, who gave a hearty, "You got it!----sir."  
The group walked out the door and headed south, all of them ready for battle.  
  
OK that's the first chapter to my first fic. R&R please but no flames. Instead give me advice on what you think I did wrong. Keep in mind I wrote this at 1:30 in the morning. ALL RIGHT! One chap down!  
  
Next chapter: Retaliation 


	2. Retaliation

Sorry this took so long but. . .school's a "female dog". Homework is unbelievable. . .Also, the real reason I'm writing is because I have pneumonia. The lower part of my right lung is filled with mucous. Pleasant, huh? Here's the show.  
  
I don't own Halo.  
  
The five super-soldiers slowly made their way to the grunts' encampment on a single warthog. No one was too happy about this, except Nick. The reason being, HE got to sit next to Elise (A/N wink, wink). They finally arrived about a mile away and hopped out. "What do we got, John?" Master Chief queried.  
"Well, we have the element of surprise. I suggest we use it. Our best plan of attack would be to spread out and surround 'em. Then, we can bombard the worms from all sides," the blue Spartan II replied.  
"Sounds good," the Chief responded, "Okay, Sam, you're the slowest so shoot from here. John, you take the valley to the west. Elise and Nick, you guys-hey! Where's Nick? Where in God's name is that kid?"  
"Does this mean I get to go alone?" Elise interjected hopefully, "All that guy did on the way here was hit on me."  
"Back!" the black Spartan II chimed in.  
"Boy, where in the blazes were you?!" asked an angry Sam.  
"Nature calls, ya' know?" was his reply.  
The others stared in disgust and amazement. Disgusted with his behavior and amazed at how stupid he could be. Master Chief finally broke the silence, "Ahem. . .Anyways, Elise, you and Nature Boy take the cliff to the East."  
At this Elise let out a groan while Nick pumped his fist into the air. "Finally, I'll take the north end. Any suggestions for weapons, John?"  
"Well," he paused to think, "Nick, you take a pistol and a sniper rifle. You have a good vantage point from the cliff. Also, you'll cover Elise, who will take a rocket launcher and an assault rifle. Sam, grab a rocket launcher and a sniper rifle, and Master Chief, you should take a sniper rifle and the last assault rifle."  
"Wait," Nick broke in, "What are you gonna' use?"  
John gave a chuckle, "Well what do ya' think? I get the warthog!"  
"Oh that is so unfair," Elise whined.  
She was quickly interrupted by her not-so-secret admirer, "Hey babe, we better get up there before the good spots are gone."  
"Nick," Elise started way too sweetly, "If you ever call me 'babe' again, you're gonna' learn what a bazooka tastes like," she said finishing with the same charm she started with, and with that she began walking up the hill.  
"Gotta' love that spunk," was all that Nick said before running after her.  
"A match made in Hell, ya' know?" Sam said shaking his head.  
"Well, let's move out!" the Chief shouted.  
After about 20 long minutes, everyone was in position. Everyone, that is, except for John. "How the heck can you drive this thing, Chief?"  
The Master Chief let out a sigh followed by groans from the rest of the squad. "Okay," John broke in after another 9 or 10 minutes, "I'm in position and ready to go. Elise, you shoot first, then Sam, then the Chief, and then I'll start firing. Finally, Nick, you get any Grunts we miss. Everyone got it?"  
"Roger that, let's do this!"  
"I'm good to go."  
"I got my crosshairs on one of 'em."  
"Me, too!" All were the eager replies of the squad.  
"Okay, on my mark, Elise," Master Chief spoke masking his nervousness, "Three. . .Two. . .One. . .MARK!"  
  
End of chapter. . . 


	3. A Hero Falls

Ok heres the chap...Oh yes...someone dies in this chapter *cry cry*  
  
The Battle of Reach  
Chapter 3: A Hero Falls  
  
At 'Mark', Elise let a rocket fly at the heart of the Grunt encampment. All that followed were the high-pitched screams of the little pigs. Then, there was a few minutes pure silence. One could here a pin drop. A few Grunts hobbled over to where the decimation took place, but in this case, curiosity killed the alien. Once the small bipeds had settled, Sam let a rocket loose aimed right in the middle of them, killing no less than 8 of the creatures. That was when the unexpected happened. The Grunts started discharging plasma rifles and pistols in all directions. John hadn't counted on that. He pictured a group of worthless Covenant running scared in all directions while his master plan took effect. He thought that the Spartans would have no trouble reducing their numbers from 800 to 0 in minutes. John imagined sheer and utter chaos, but that wasn't the case. Instead of scattering like brainless beasts, the Grunts quickly made their way to the armory, running in a serpentine motion trying to avoid the snipers. All the cybernetic soldiers could do was to try to stick to the plan and wipe the cretins out.  
But the Grunts finally got to the armory. Then the plan went to Hell. The only sounds for miles around were the echo of frantic sniper rifle shots and the faint whisper of plasma pistols' cooling units activating. However, the Spartans had the upper hand. Then, they got overconfident. Feeling imminent victory, Sam started to walk out of the grove he was in. "Ha ha! I got the little monsters now," he shouted firing two rockets vaporizing one Grunt while flinging three others into the air.  
Then, the Chief slowly crept from his hiding place as Nick and Elise stood to get a better view, all of them unaware of how important those spots would be. The com link was filled with joyous victory cries from the different Spartans. Then, John burst through a cave opening at full speed, letting out a shrill war cry that puzzled his teammates. However, they quickly found that the 'war cry' was a scream. "Everyone, clear out! They've won this battle!"  
At first, they all thought that he'd become psychotic. However, no one exactly wanted to question the genius and everyone scrambled to a safe spot. That is, everyone except Nick. "Yeah, right. And I'm an admiral in disguise," was his cocky response.  
"You little brat! Get your ass out of here!"  
At that moment, the odds got a LOT better for the Grunts. Eight drop ships appeared over the cave that John was just in, but they weren't alone. In the distance, there was a loud, ear-piercing, screeching noise. Make that 'loud, ear-piercing, screeching noises'. The drop ships were guarded by no less than twenty squealing banshees. The entire crew had seen this, except Nick, who was trying to target a fleeing grunt. Elise, the Chief, and Sam scuttled to find cover. As John began to turn the M12LRV around, he happened to glance at the ships. He was surprised. Instead of dropping to give immediate reinforcements to the encampment, they seemed to be flying to a predetermined destination. The blue Spartan looked into the distance. He noticed that the Covenant were heading toward a lone figure on a cliff. 'Oh no,' he thought, 'Nick.' "NICK, GET OUT OF THERE!" John shouted half angrily and half scared.  
Nick looked up. Nick then ran. John gazed at the sight, and then he took off in great haste. Nick was scared. He was just plain scared. His adrenal glands were working at 200% capacity as he desperately tried to find a hiding place. He looked off to his right at a small cavern. However, the pilots noticed this, too. Just as he made a break for it, the leader of the banshees blasted the potential shelter to bits. 'Okay, no dice,' he thought as he raced to find another spot. Then, he heard the drop ships race ahead of him, no doubt attempting to ambush him. However, Nick wasn't a complete idiot. He realized that they were setting a trap, so he made a sharp cut to the right as charged plasma cannon blasts obliterated the area a meter ahead of him.  
Nick looked ahead and saw a deep riverbed in front of him. He could easily hide there until it was safe. He really didn't have a choice. "I'm going for it," he muttered to himself. Thirty meters, 'Almost there,' twenty meters, 'Just a little farther,' ten meters, 'I'm gonna' make it!'  
Just as Nick leaped into the air to dive into the river of freedom, a plasma cannon blast landed half a meter in front of him and threw him back at least five meters. The black Spartan laid there for a few seconds in a complete stupor. He then slowly pulled himself into a sitting position just in time to see the eight drop ships land and unload their lethal cargo. "Oh, God, I'm done. Game over."  
As he whispered his last prayers, Nick looked up and got his first clear look at his killers, ten Elites and fourteen Grunts. The Grunts slowly moved in as the Elites let out their war cries. Nick gave up hope. With no hopes of survival or strength to fight on, Nick rolled over and awaited death openly. As he awaited his demise, the youngster's thoughts began to wander. He pictured himself on a beautiful beach with a clear, blue sky, walking on white sand that spanned for miles. What he found most striking was the sound of the rumbling waves crashing upon the shore. Yes he could definitely hear the rumbling...but then he realized something. It wasn't water. Suddenly, John burst onto the scene mowing over three Elites and two Grunts who had been caught off guard. Wasting no time, John jumped into the gunner seat and started firing the chain gun with no intent of stopping anytime soon. "Nick get out of here!" he shouted.  
"But-"  
"I'm NOT telling you again. I'll meet up with you later."  
Nick knew he was lying. "Thank you, John. I'll never forget this," was all the boy could muster as he attempted to roll into the river, with tears in his eyes. As his near-lifeless body crashed into the stream, he heard the banshees soaring overhead, no doubt preparing for a bombing run. Next, he heard random explosions, a scream, and then...nothing. Complete silence. Nick could do nothing but cry. Of all the things he had trained for, nothing had prepared him for the death of a friend. But it didn't make sense to Nick. He wasn't supposed to be afraid or confused. Nick was elite. He was one of the best. He was a Spartan, and that made the pain feel so much worse. With what little energy he possessed, Nick climbed a little ways downstream and fell into a cold, dreamless sleep.  
"It's been eight hours," Elise said nervously, looking around the designated rendezvous point. "It's getting late. Do you think they're all right?"  
"I'm sure they're fine," Sam muttered.  
Just then, a zombie-like being limped its way toward the three soldiers. "Who goes there?" Master Chief shouted into the darkness.  
"Uuuh-eerrg," was all that the figure groaned back.  
Slowly it made its way nearer and nearer to the Spartans, who quickly raised their weapons, ready to annihilate the strange creature. It got to within three feet of Sam before it finally collapsed in front of him. The three warriors peered down. "What is it?" Sam asked while prodding it with his sniper rifle.  
Elise bent over and turned on her flashlight, "Oh my God," she gasped. "Nick?"  
  
Hehehehehehehehe...cliffy? Not really. Poor John........... WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!!?!?!?!!?!??!?!?!?!??? Oh well. 


End file.
